Kultivera + The Soap Factory Residency Exchange Open Call

Opening Reception

May 3rd 3pm

Gallery Hours

N/A

Exhibition Runs

May 3 -
May 3

The Residency exchange is a 1-2 month placement program, providing emerging and mid-career Minnesota artists support to research, produce, exhibit new works, and explore the artistic, social and cultural context offered by a host city. Upon their return, residency artists will share their experiences and any new work through an artist talk and studio visit with one of The Soap Factory’s established curatorial advisors.

In 2018, artists from each of these partner programs will be offered a 1-3 month residency opportunity at The Soap Factory, supported by our staff in documentation, installation, critique and presentation.

Each international exchange will be unique and aim to provide programming and networking opportunities in addition to travel and material support. For all residency artists, becoming part of a distinct network of cultural establishments, conversations, and communities will enhance the experience of making work in a new city, supported by a valued partnership organization.

We are interested in conversations, experimentation, and long-running relationships; Residency artists are welcome to re-apply to future residencies at The Soap Factory to explore their projects further, with possible opportunities to exhibit in our galleries.

Sweden + Minnesota Exchange

Open call: March 20 – May 3, 2017, 3:00PM

Residency dates: August 1st – September 3rd

The Soap Factory is excited to partner with Kutlivera to bring four emerging and mid-career Minnesota-based artists to Tranås, Sweden to participate in a month-long residency at their organization.

This residency is about TIME and PLACE, an opportunity to reflect and cultivate ideas through experience and exchange. Artists will be given opportunities to learn about their host city, meet other artists, and space to work independently or collaboratively in their studios. Artists of any practice are welcome to apply (visual, performance, literary, dance, interdisciplinary, new media), but please keep in mind that this residency might not provide the logistics and time to create large-scale pieces.

Artists are asked to prepare to discuss or share their experiences during a public artist talk and private studio visit shortly after their return, organized by The Soap Factory.

Kultivera

Kultivera operates international cultural programs that are physical, social and creative; that stimulate and inspire both the artists and the local community. Kultivera creates cross-border meetings between artists, community, and industry that allow different areas to fertilize each other in mutual interaction. Kultivera’s idea is to connect several European cultures, and promote democracy, quality, innovation, diversity, and cultural development.

The artist is not bound or isolated to a specific location or place, but is inserted in a typical Swedish small-town situations where they can operate internationally through the local.

More information about Kultivera’s organization and residency programs can be found on their about page.

About Tranås

Tranås is an average sized Swedish town not yet a hundred years old, but with a history that stretches as far back as the middle ages to the homestead. Tranås is situated by the mouth of Svartån (Black River) entering the river Sommen. The name Tranås is mentioned in 1407 when the knight Karl Magnusson (Iron Foot) bequeaths Tranås to Vadstenas monastery; specifically referred to salmon fishing at Tranås mill. In the 1700s, the Tranås mill became a major hub located where several county roads crossed each other. In the 1800s the community grew slowly and for a period was called Lövstad.Tranås became a town in the early 20th century, when the fur and timber industry became important in the district due to the abundance of water from lake Sommen and Svartån (Black river). Today, Tranås is known for furniture design and manufacturing, all of which started in 1885, when the first wooden chair was manufactured. It was then, that the railroad was built going through the area creating the need for a station, which then established Tranås as a town which then became a city in 1919.

New Småland Project

Kultivera is connected with the New Småland project. New Småland is an interregional art project that was initiated as a collaboration between four art institutions, three regions, and a university in Småland. New Småland’s ambition is to formulate long-term relationships, experiment, and create conditions for critical and cultural sustainability. This idea is based on locate and connect artists and organizers in the three regions. Regardless of economic and institutional circumstances each are treated by the various stakeholders as equal resources and knowledge nodes in investigating local and regional issues. Working crosswise between artists and institutions, and combining local knowledge with international contemporary art, design, and critical thinking opens possibilities to explore together and rethink the political, social, and aesthetic landscape of Småland.

The Minnesota-Sweden reconnection will be apart of the New Småland project. A great opportunity for Minnesotan artist/curators and The Soap Factory to work with one of Sweden’s most interesting curatorial projects which collaborates with several exciting institutes in the region. Bringing different contemporary perspectives to new and old Småland.

Support + Costs

What Soap Factory is providing, what Kultivera is providing, what the artist needs to cover

The Soap Factory and Kultivera will be supporting the following costs:

-Travel (flight and train ticket to and from airport)

-Accommodations

-Working Studios

-Food Stipend

-Material Stipend

Artists are expected to cover any additional expenses during your residency. The Soap Factory staff will be working with you to travel.

How to apply:

This is an open call to participate in the Kultivera + Soap Factory residency program. All applications must be submitted through mnartists.org. See eligibility below and expectations below.

To help you prepare, use the following checklist.

What we want you to include:

-First and foremost, are you eligible? Yes! Awesome! No? That’s ok, we will have more opportunities for you in the future :).

-Statement of Intent – why do you want to do this!? Other than visiting a beautiful city, please.

-Proposal – what project(s) will you be working on?

Note:

*The Soap Factory is committed to diversity in audience, staff and programming. To assist us in achieving our diversity goals, please indicate your ethnicity or cultural background. Note that responses to this query are not a factor in showing at The Soap Factory, but a measurement of how well we are promoting our submission process to diverse communities.

*All application materials must be submitted in English.

*Artists selected for the Kultivera residency exchange program will be notified by June 3rd.

*Please, do not call or email to check on your submission.

Eligibility

Artists must be 18+ years old. Open to individual artists, one – four person artist collectives, or curator partnering with one to four artists. Project can work in any medium or combination of medium. Artists looking to participate cannot be currently enrolled (at the time of the residency: July- August, 2017) in an education institution that provides study abroad/residency programs. For this call, all applicants must currently be residents of the state of Minnesota.

Please read the following:

The Soap Factory and Kultivera will be providing artists with travel, housing, food stipend, and material stipend. Artist are responsible for any additional costs. The Soap Factory provides a promotional platform, interviews, and artist talks. We do not provide insurance coverage for work created during or following your residency. All work is shown at the artist’s own risk.

Guidelines:

Submissions are only accepted online through the mnartists.org submission process, deadline is May 3rd , 2017, 3:00PM pm. Technical help from MNartists.org or The Soap Factory staff must be inquired before 3pm on the day of the deadline.

The Soap Factory encourages, but do not require you to publicize your profile on mnartists.org. You do not have to have an existing, but must create a profile to submit through mnartists.org.

We do NOT accept e-mailed submissions OR mailed in submissions.

Work Samples:

We accept proposals for the following type of work;

Visual Arts – Please include a minimum of 5 examples of work, maximum of 10. Any form of visual art is encouraged; 2D, Sculpture, Installation, New Media, Video, etc. If you are proposing video work, please include 1-2 work examples. Include the following information with work: Title, medium, size, year, and length if video.

Performance – Please include 1-2 video examples if you have them. If not, please include 1-2 photos and description from any past performances. Include the following information with work: Title, location, year.

Sound – Please include at least 2-3 sound examples, maximum 5. Include the following information with work: Title, length, year.

In addition to work examples, we require an artist statement, proposal, and current CV or Resume.

*You will not be able to upload files to apply for our call after May 3rd.

Before Applying:

Artist Statement:

Your artist statement might address the following:

*What is your background as an artist?

*How would you describe your work as an artist, and how would you describe your process?

*What do you see as the future of your art form and how does your work contribute to that?

*How would this opportunity fit into your goals as an artist?

Minimum of 500 words.

Statement of Intent:

Your statement of intent might address the following:

*Why are you interested in participating in a residency program? Specifically, why this residency opportunity?

*What are you hoping to accomplish with this residency experience?

*If you are working as a collaborative, how will you be working together?

*Where does this residency experience fit into any goals as a cultural provider of content, time, and place?

Proposal:

Please outline the specifics of your project and how you might use the residency as a tool to experiment and research. If you are looking to use the residency as a cultivator of ideas, give us an idea of what you hope to get out of the experience, any projects that you are brainstorming and could see this experience help develop ideas?